NEW BOAT DILEMMA. FRUSTRATED

buckybadger wrote:

Very True – Great Point! Kudos to the people who throw common sense and testimonials out the window when purchasing their brand new boats.

…I’ll gladly buy 1-3 year old fully rigged boats the rest of my life without the excessive depreciation, sales tax, or headache they endure to “Keep Up With The Joneses”

I was mostly joking but to be honest buying a used boat kind of sucks too. Anything that is a good deal gets snapped up immediately. You think you found something but it’s not exactly what you want so you think about it for a little bit and then find out it’s sold by the time you check on it. It can take many months to get a used one too for some people. If you have the money and want to get what you want there’s nothing wrong with that

I’m mainly joking as well. There are great new boats and dealer/manufacturer relationships.

However, there are so many good bargains to be had on slightly used boats that it’s hard to not consider it. If you could have a brand new boat… or a 2 year old rig fully loaded with state of the art graphs, rod holders, anchors, trolling motor, etc. AND pay for your fuel in it for the year for the same cost or less – it’s hard to choose brand new in my opinion.

The best used deals are definitely available if you have cash in-hand and are willing to close a deal in a moment’s notice. The used boat market is no place for tire kickers or people who are “somewhat interested” in a boat.

buckybadger wrote:

Throw the dealer’s name out there, as well as give the manufacturers hell. The dealer and manufacturers should be on the same team. Their goal should be to make a quality product that is marketable to buyers while following through on the customer service piece. They make plenty of $$$ to handle the warranted criticism.

My question after reading through all these posts and having some relatives go through the same exact scenario (with Alumacraft), is WHY do people insist on ordering these new boats knowing it’s all a hoax on delivery times and the entire process? There are thousands of demo boats and quality used rigs for thousands of dollars less, no sales tax, and you get the end product in your hands seconds after you fork over the money. I watched at the MPLS Boat Show as people dealt on boats that were ~30k and a couple grand off MSRP being advertised as a “Great Deal”, while on some of the local sites the same boat completely rigged (even a larger motor), that was 1 year old sold for $20,500. Is that 1 year of age worth $9k + the headache and additional sales tax? No Thank You.

Research…buy a used quality product for thousands less, and don’t look back. Even warranties on most items today are about as valuable as a used piece of Charmin. More and more banks and credit unions will extend a line of credit on boats that are 0-10 years old and in good shape if cash is an issue but you have a steady income.

Try to find financing for a used boat and you will get part of your answer. I think being able to customize it to your liking plays another role as well as a guy just wanting to newest stinkiest toy.

I don’t know much but I know that I can rig better than the $10/hour kids that the dealer hires to do their menial shop work. Warranty work is another area where the new boat will sit at the dealer for weeks. When I bought my new boat, I quit taking my boat the dealer altogether. Buy the boat and accessories through the dealer so it can all be financed and install the stuff yourself.

I finally had to post my 2 cents worth after reading this and hearing about a million other “new boat purchase nightmares”.

The bottom line is boat manufacturing including their dealer network, inventory management, supply chain, customer promise dates, Lead Times, manufacturing cycle times, etc is still in 1980s. They won’t change until something dives them to change. Look what it took the US Auto manufactures to do after the Japanese showed them how to build cars. Yes, many boats (and motors) are built better and safer then they were years ago but there are still massive customer gaps in what is expected in a purchase.

Your story line is repeated so many times…
1. Buy boat around the boat show time with “discount”
2. Promised a 6 to 8 week fictitious lead time
3. Sign agreement and put a chunk of $ down
4. Boat shows up late with incomplete/missing assembly’s
5. Dealer is frustrated with “the factory”
6. Customer finally gets his boat months late with many issues that finally get resolved after a half dozen trips back and forth to the dealer.

Geez, is there any low hanging fruit to fix in this process?

Again, they aren’t changing folks until something drives them to. Better order your boat now to be ready for the 2020 opener.

The sad thing about these delayed boat deals is you ordered a 2017 boat and by the time you get it the 2018 models coming out. You lost a years depreciation and never got the years worth of use out of it.

Your wife is a wise person, listen to her.

This isn’t a situation where there was a shipping delay in either the hull or motor. The OP stated both have been on site for many weeks. Just nobody doing anything about it. A visit there with a demand for a 100% refund immediately is in order. They didn’t special order anything and there is no reason they should balk at giving your money back. If they do come back here and rip them to shreds.

BTW, what area are you from?

crappie55369 wrote:

<div class=”d4p-bbt-quote-title”>buckybadger wrote:</div>
Throw the dealer’s name out there, as well as give the manufacturers hell. The dealer and manufacturers should be on the same team. Their goal should be to make a quality product that is marketable to buyers while following through on the customer service piece. They make plenty of $$$ to handle the warranted criticism.

My question after reading through all these posts and having some relatives go through the same exact scenario (with Alumacraft), is WHY do people insist on ordering these new boats knowing it’s all a hoax on delivery times and the entire process? There are thousands of demo boats and quality used rigs for thousands of dollars less, no sales tax, and you get the end product in your hands seconds after you fork over the money. I watched at the MPLS Boat Show as people dealt on boats that were ~30k and a couple grand off MSRP being advertised as a “Great Deal”, while on some of the local sites the same boat completely rigged (even a larger motor), that was 1 year old sold for $20,500. Is that 1 year of age worth $9k + the headache and additional sales tax? No Thank You.

Research…buy a used quality product for thousands less, and don’t look back. Even warranties on most items today are about as valuable as a used piece of Charmin. More and more banks and credit unions will extend a line of credit on boats that are 0-10 years old and in good shape if cash is an issue but you have a steady income.

Try to find financing for a used boat and you will get part of your answer. I think being able to customize it to your liking plays another role as well as a guy just wanting to newest stinkiest toy.

I’ve had 0 issues in the past when I’ve went the financing route receiving a great rate on a slightly used boat. Now if someone thinks they can put 10% down on a used boat and finance it for 10 years…then that’s a completely different can of worms. (If you can’t put ~50% down and pay it off in a few years, not only should you not be loaned the money but you also don’t need the toy)

I think a lot of it comes down to needing to have the newest, fastest, biggest toy – even if it means dealer headaches and thousands of dollars wasted versus a slightly used boat. Where does a walleye or bass fisherman need to get to so fast that a 250hp motor isn’t enough…but a 300 or 350hp is needed? Is it really too tight to fish 3 people in that 20′ boat…making a 21′ justifiable?

Back to the original topic – There’s NO chance I’d sign off on that purchase without money off the purchase price, or some notable accessories thrown in. Let them know you’re a member of IDO and that Social Media is a powerful weapon.

I understand the used boat thing. I guess when it comes to my boat; I’m kinda particular as to how it’s rigged. Someone has to buy a new boat to feed the used market. It wasn’t my first new boat and it may not be my last. I’m sure some can relate.
With that said; I stopped to check things out and they had the floor out and were preparing to run the 2 wires for the cranking battery from the charger. Great they got that figured out. Also they had the kicker put on and the 3 way fuel switch; setting on the back bench seat apparently thinking about the install. Radio is in with speakers mounted (not a big fan of a mounted radio; but wife insisted) and had the kicker hardware installed for steering connect from main engine to kicker. Progress I see.
Head mechanic is in the boat when I walk in and I say Hi hows it going. He didn’t say anything; just got out of the boat and left without saying a word. Kid sweeping the floor asked if I had a big weekend planned and told him I didn’t. He talked to me about his plans for about 15 min. Very personable guy. Head mechanic should take some lessons from him.
When they call for me to take delivery I will inspect every last thing to the tee. I will report in the upcoming week as the saga continues.

Have a great weekend

When you see a customer that might be irate, I would let the new guy do the talking as well.

But really at this time they are taking other jobs and putting them higher priority than yours. It is that time of year.

OK; after over 4-1/2 months since I ordered my new boat the owner of the dealership told me to bring a truck on Tuesday. Since my last post all they had left was to install the PANTHER steering rod that connects the main engine and 9.9 kicker. I had them put the cover on and it didn’t fit properly with the kicker motor. I asked what other people had done with this type of cover and was told that it needed to be altered. I ask if they use anybody for alterations; they said yes and asked them to get it altered then. He had to have run into this on other boats and could have saved some time bringing that to my attention way before then.
Cover gets altered so at that time they attempt to install the panther steering rod and it doesn’t fit. They said it was an older model so they call manuf and they are sending an adapter to make it work.
Am I exited to get my new boat? No not really. This has been going on so long that that my excitement has dwindled.
Also to add to the issues with their service; there is a oil spot on the carpeted rear bench about the size of 2 footprint right in front of the kicker motor that they tried to clean up.
Big pain in the azz.

Why aren’t you posting the dealer’s name?

Because that kind of info could get back to them to fast. Remember I still do not have the boat, they do. I kind of relate it to a restaurant and sending your meal back to the chef. After I get things right and take delivery; I will let the world know which dealer.

123 wrote:

Because that kind of info could get back to them to fast. Remember I still do not have the boat, they do. I kind of relate it to a restaurant and sending your meal back to the chef. After I get things right and take delivery; I will let the world know which dealer.

If your concerned that they would sabotage a product that they are selling to you, Why would you even consider continuing a purchase with them?

I would bail in a New York minute if that is the case.

Wow. Have to tell you 123, I’m sorry for your situation and I’m sorry that this dealership has managed to drain all the joy out of a new boat.

Question: Have you considered just saying “Wrap her up!” and driving off with your boat in whatever condition it’s in right now and then take it to a competent marine shop to finish it off?

Obviously, it would be nice to stick the original dealer with the bill, but at times like these I often have to tell myself the old adage: If you can buy your way out of a problem, you don’t have a problem, you have an expense.

I’d want to get away as fast as I could.

Grouse

123 wrote:

Because that kind of info could get back to them to fast. Remember I still do not have the boat, they do. I kind of relate it to a restaurant and sending your meal back to the chef. After I get things right and take delivery; I will let the world know which dealer.

I can understand that logic. On the other hand, you’ve got some leverage now that you’re not fully taking advantage of. Social media is an anvil you can hang over their head to motivate them.

…or there’s another side to the story.

Don’t know…just sayin’.

There’s another post on another forum that is complaining about the delay’s in getting Ranger boats. Unfortunately up north here, no one orders a boat just in time to put it in storage, almost everyone orders in the winter/spring time frame. Every dealer has the same line…..standard lead time is 6 – 8 weeks, which is probably true for a normal year. By the time April comes around is when the boat manufactures really have their build schedules. I was told Ranger sold 40% more boats this spring than the year before. Yet their capacity is based on an average, so schedules go out because the manufacturers only have so much tooling. You probably can assume this for Crestliner, in fact they moved their production to the New York Mills facility which more than likely made it worse, especially if Lund is also experiencing a spike. I have a friend whose brother works at the Lund factory and he says they are busier than he can remember. Your dealer can only do the dance based on what they are being told. If there is a spike in orders the impact goes right down the line to their suppliers that are servicing this industry, who may be causing some delays. Doesn’t make it right but I agree that it is frustrating. My 2015 Ranger was 4 weeks later than promised. Few if any anticipated this surprising growth in orders, even the outboard motor guys are having problems keeping up. Try scheduling service with a dealer these days, uffda!!

Brian Klawitter wrote:

…or there’s another side to the story.

Don’t know…just sayin’.

I agree 100%. There’s something missing here and it looks like we will never get to hear the other side.

David Anderson wrote:

Try scheduling service with a dealer these days

You know, the more I read these comments to these couple of posts, the happier I am that I bought my boat from Skeeter Boat Center and Dean Marshall.

No smoke being blown up body tubes. I don’t even get a cookie for posting this…

PS all fishing boat manufacturers have realize a huge jump in sales this spring. Some more then others.

I couldn’t agree more Brian! My experience with SBC was the best I’ve ever had from a dealership on any purchase including cars, trucks, etc.

Brian Klawitter wrote:

<div class=”d4p-bbt-quote-title”>David Anderson wrote:</div>
Try scheduling service with a dealer these days

You know, the more I read these comments to these couple of posts, the happier I am that I bought my boat from Skeeter Boat Center and Dean Marshall.

No smoke being blown up body tubes. I don’t even get a cookie for posting this…

PS all fishing boat manufacturers have realize a huge jump in sales this spring. Some more then others.

123 wrote:

Because that kind of info could get back to them to fast. Remember I still do not have the boat, they do. I kind of relate it to a restaurant and sending your meal back to the chef. After I get things right and take delivery; I will let the world know which dealer.

You want some leverage? Tell them you want them to make it right by throwing in some free equipment or service for giving you the run around. If they dont, tell them you will follow them to every boat show next winter and stand next to their booth and tell their potential customers about your experience buying a new boat from that dealer the previous winter.

Can’t believe you were told 6-8 weeks in JANUARY! Ask them if they meant 6-8 MONTHS because it is almost July! You sir, have much more patience than I do.

The boat showed up at the dealers 10 weeks from order. That wasn’t the problem; it was everything else leading up to this day starting with boat delivered without a trailer.. Please read my original post.

FWIW, when I was a plant manager, our sales staff CONSTANTLY told our customers, “oh yeah, no problem getting them trucks built by then”. These were plain old mistruths… everybody (and I suspect even the customer) knew that was a crock… when I started telling them that they should be honest and upfront with the customer, there was almost a mutiny… we were gonna lose sales by telling the truth. I asked the owner, what are the lies costing you today in future sales ? He didn’t know. Long story short, they had to start getting build dates and delivery dates from me and they didn’t like the dates I was giving them, but they were real delivery dates. The owner of a VERY LARGE construction outfit here in St Cloud, called the owner one day and chewed him out about for the delivery dates they were given on 8 belly dumps… then he thanked us for being honest and gave him a PO. It’s the game and it’s all about getting that down payment more than anything. Have them write up a purchase order with a clause of $500 off for every day the rig is late… bet they wouldn’t do it !!!

123 wrote:

The boat showed up at the dealers 10 weeks from order. That wasn’t the problem; it was everything else leading up to this day starting with boat delivered without a trailer.. Please read my original post.

Isn’t that all the more reason to be upset with the dealer and not the manufacturer? I’m confused though, if the point of the thread is not to mention who the dealer is to warn other potential buyers what is the point of this thread?

Situations like this suck…It sucks you didn’t get your boat by the promised time. And it sucks the dealer doesn’t get a chance to share their side of the story. The only company bashed so far in this deal looks to be Crestliner which is odd cause it appears they actually delivered the boat. Then again I don’t know the whole story…and neither does anyone else here.

Hope you get your boat soon so you can put this behind you and enjoy some time on the water!

I just talked to an Alumacraft dealer this past week and was told that boats that get ordered now will likely be delivered in 2018. He said the manufacturers are all backlogged.

buckybadger wrote:

Very True – Great Point! Kudos to the people who throw common sense and testimonials out the window when purchasing their brand new boats.

…I’ll gladly buy 1-3 year old fully rigged boats the rest of my life without the excessive depreciation, sales tax, or headache they endure to “Keep Up With The Joneses”

All I buy is used boats. Used boat prices IMO are crazy. Not much depreciation from the original sale price.

123 FWIW –
When I was having problems with my boat delivery I named the dealer (on IDO) and like magic I was taken care of.
It’s not like sending food back at a restaurant and having someone put a booger in your burger.
Businesses are petrified of getting a bad reputation especially with online reviews.

Name the dealer!name the dealer!
If you choose not to name them not aware if you talked to owner of company yet. If haven’t call the front desk ask for the owner by name tell them your story you will move up the list. I’m in sales for a living and if I jacked a customer around I would think a customer should run it up the ladder

Had a friend purchase a new Lund last weekend. Not sure which dealer… He was on the fence about purchasing one at a boat show last winter, decided not to. Last weekend something changed for him, he called up the dealer, asked if they would honor their show price from last winter, the boat he wanted was actually in stock, he was on the water with a new boat that evening.